


Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy

by astudyinfic



Series: Apocalypse AU [6]
Category: Cut & Run - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux
Genre: Alternate Universe - Afterlife, Alternate Universe - Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Desk Sex, First Time, Getting Together, Lust at First Sight, M/M, Not Beta Read, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:55:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25767067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astudyinfic/pseuds/astudyinfic
Summary: A man who couldn't deny himself anything, Zane wasn't sure how he ended up with the mantle of the Horseman of Famine. But if it meant working next to the hottest man he'd ever seen, Zane would do just about anything.Except for abstinence. That would be asking far too much.
Relationships: Zane Garrett/Ty Grady
Series: Apocalypse AU [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1575010
Comments: 6
Kudos: 22





	Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy

Looking around his office, Zane couldn't remember how he got there. He'd been having a shoot out with the outlaw who had been terrorizing his town for months. One minute, he was in the town square and the next moment he was sitting at his desk here in his office. 

Though this wasn't the side he normally sat on. 

A man in the cleanest clothes Zane had ever seen outside of Austin sat in Zane's chair, smiling at him as if nothing about this was out of the ordinary.

"Now, see here. That's my seat and you best be getting out of it right this moment." Zane didn't tolerate anyone stepping a foot out of line in his town. He was there to make sure the law was followed and he did a good job of that. When he wasn't drinking himself stupid or losing all his earnings at the cards tables. The people of the town didn't talk about it (that he heard) and he never acknowledged these slips in public.

Just because he drank and played cards, it didn't make him a bad sheriff. On the contrary, it made him that much more efficient. When he drank, everyone let their guard down around him and he found out things about the dark underbelly of the town he wouldn't have heard otherwise. 

It was for the town's own good. He told himself that every night as he ordered his first shot and bought into the game.

But now some interloper sat in his seat and Zane wasn't having it. "Get up and get out, unless you wish to find yourself behind bars."

The man didn't seem concerned, even as Zane stood and loomed over him. "You can try to arrest me, Zane, but I think you will find that difficult considering you are dead. Please, have a seat so I can explain things to you. I am a busy man and have other matters that are more pressing than you and your small-town power trip."

When the man said he was dead, Zane was baffled. He knew he hadn't been drinking much before his duel but maybe he had consumed a little more than he realized. Because they were sitting in his office, solid as could be. 

The man, either reading his mind or guessing what Zane was thinking, chuckled. "This isn't your office, Garrett. I thought it might be more comfortable with you. Some new recruits tend to panic if I throw them in without warning. But if you would rather do this at my place, we can do that." With a snap of his fingers, Zane's office disappeared in a flash of blinding white light. When he blinked again, the office surrounding him was unlike anything he had ever seen. Everything was white and silver, slick and bright. Nothing like this existed in his town, and as far as Zane knew, nothing like this existed at all.

He knew he was gaping but couldn't seem to stop. Looking past the man to the windows, Zane saw not a town, or city, or landscape, but nothing but stars and space. He glanced back at the man. "I'm...dead?"

"Afraid so. Shot right between the eyes in front of your whole town. Too much drink and you couldn't pull your gun fast enough. The man who shot you is going to try to take over and in five years, the town will no longer exist." Zane's heart panged with loss. He might not have been the best man or the best sheriff but he had tried. In the end, he'd still managed to let everyone down. He hoped the people who had been kind to him would be alright, though, he rather doubted that would be the case. 

The man cleared his throat. "Still, your life's loss is also your gain because I would like to hire you to do something else if you are amenable."

Zane didn't know who this man was. He could have been an angel or a demon, a god, or the devil himself, but he felt like whatever the man offered him had to be better than the eternity of torment he knew awaited him otherwise. "What do you want me to do?"

"First you need to meet your team. Normally, I would ask if you could ride a horse but I think we both know the answer to that one. Don't need to worry about that with you."

"What kind of man can't ride a horse?" Zane asked without thinking. It made no sense to him. How could you get along in life without riding a horse? They were as natural to the people of his town as walking.

The man gave him a slight smile. "Not all of the team comes from the same world as you, Zane. They've had very different lives and sometimes, that is a positive and other times, it causes tensions. You'll see when you meet them." 

Zane scoffed. Any man worth his salt could ride a horse. He didn't care where one came from. What kind of men were these if the man in front of him had to ask them such a stupid question. 

"They're a unique group and not everyone can put up with them. I'd feel better knowing if you could or not before I officially assign you to the team."

He was dead. He didn't see anyone he knew. If Zane allowed himself to think about the afterlife, this might have been close to what he expected. Cold, devoid of feeling, missing anyone who made his life interesting, and worth living. But he didn't have any better offers than the one currently in front of him. "Fine," he said with a nod. "Lead the way."

Instead of standing, as Zane expected, one second they were in the office and the next they were in a long hallway. He wondered if he would ever get used to that because the feeling was unsettling. There were doors all the way down the hall on either side and one towards the end was open. A lot of noise came from inside; raised voices and occasional small explosions. Again, Zane found himself wondering what kind of team this was. The man next to him didn't say anything, just smiled with an amused shake of his head, and walked to the room with all the commotion. Zane followed a moment later, hat in his hand as he stepped into the room just behind the other. 

The noise stopped immediately and several eyes stared him down from around a long conference table. Zane noted a man with red hair who seemed to be in charge or was at least trying to maintain that appearance. Judging by the scorch marks on one wall and the unsettling ooze that dripped down another, he didn't quite seem to be managing it. His eyes glanced over the others, not really registering anything he was seeing until...

Zane had never seen a man like him. He was leaning back in his chair precariously, feet propped up on the table, and looking like he didn't have a care in the world. Toned body from a life used to physical work and eyes that glinted when they met Zane's. If he believed in fairy tales, he would have said it was love at first sight. As he didn't, Zane chalked it up to pure and unadulterated lust at first sight instead. 

The man's chair hit the ground with a thumb and he stared at Zane, eyes wide with surprise. Maybe the man was feeling this too. Zane rather hoped so. His opportunities for male companionship had been limited when he became sheriff. Now, though, since he was dead, he thought he could indulge as much as possible. 

"Deuce, who is this?" the man asked, his eyes still locked on Zane's.

"This is the new Eli if he accepts the job so be nice to him because you aren't going to find anyone more qualified."

Zane didn't know what Eli did but if it meant working with that man who got his blood racing from just a look, he'd do pretty much anything. "I’ll take it. Whatever the job is, I'll take it."

"Well, that was stupid," the man replied with a grin. "I like you already. I'm going to show Hoss here around. We'll catch up with the rest of you later."

He grabbed Zane by the arm and practically dragged him from the room. "He hasn't officially accepted the job yet!" the man Zane now knew as Deuce called after them. 

"Pretty sure he just did."

The door shut behind them, leaving the two of them alone in the hall, the silence almost deafening now that they were away from the rest of the men in that room. "You have to excuse my brother. He thinks he knows everything. Job hazard, I guess."

"Your brother? What's his job? What is your job? Who are you? What did your brother just hire me to do?" The questions came fast as everything started to catch up with Zane. 

"Slow down, Hoss, I'll explain everything. First, I'm Ty. Deuce in there really is my brother from the mortal world. Everyone else in there I met after I died. Time moves funny around here. Looking at you, I'd guess, the 1880s maybe?"

"1874," Zane replied immediately. "Why?"

"I'm from 2019. Deuce died after me in 2050 but he was here when I was hired. Owen is from Roman times. Nicko died in 1950s Boston. Digger was a casualty of war in the 1970s. Eli doesn't talk about his past much but that's okay. Not everyone is as thrilled with the whole 'being dead' thing as others.

Zane was struggling to keep up, partly because that was a lot of information to be thrown at him at once. Information that made no sense to his normally analytical mind. The fact that Ty's hand was still on his arm was the other part of his struggle. Because he wanted to feel that touch all over, which might not have been the best response considering where they were and what they were talking about. "So, who are you?" he asked, trying to focus on the situation at hand. "What jobs do you do that have to be done after your death?" As much as Zane liked being sheriff, he hadn’t expected to need to keep working after he died. 

"Deuce didn't tell you? He likes to play mind games. Messed with people's heads when he was alive too." That didn't answer Zane's question so he waited in silence for Ty to get to the point. "For all intents and purposes, Deuce is God. We call him Good, but same idea. There's someone downstairs as well who is called Evil. He's Liam. You'll meet him eventually. He likes to show up from time to time to cause trouble."

If he thought about it, the person who would be offering him a job after death would be God, but Zane never believed in much so to find out there was actually a god was a bit of a shock. And to find that he was a long, lean guy who didn't look like he could do much in a fight was a bit of a surprise as well. "So, God is hiring me for a job?"

"Yep. not too many jobs that he deals with directly. And, technically speaking, your boss would be Nick, but he's just one of the team as far as we're concerned."

Ty was either being purposefully vague to annoy him or he had no idea that he was rambling so much. It would have been irritating if Zane didn't find it oddly attractive. "Ty, what is your job? What is Nick's job? What would be my job?" Maybe direct questions would be more effective.

Ty grinned, a look that Zane figured he should find terrifying but instead just made him want to push the man down on the nearest flat surface and have his way with him. "Nick is Apocalypse. As in 'in charge of the'. I'm the Horseman of Death. You'd be the Horseman of Famine."

Several things fell into place all at once. This really was the afterlife because no way in hell would Zane's imagination have made the Horseman of Death as attractive as he was. It also explained the need for riding horses and he wondered if Ty was one of the ones they had problems with. Also, what the hell was Deuce thinking, giving him the job of Famine? He'd never been good at denying himself anything. If Deuce could have found a worse choice, Zane didn't know who it was.

"Are you actually Death? If so, then why didn't I see you when I died?" Why was that the question Zane wanted answered? Zane didn't know but it was the first one that came to mind.

"I have angels that do the actual reaping. Too much work for one being, no matter how powerful." Ty looked him up and down. "Though, if I knew what I was missing out on, I might make an exception in your case."

Zane blinked, both by the obvious interest the man was showing in him and the information being bestowed. "So...Death?" He didn't know why that was so hard to understand but he never thought of Death as a handsome man with sparkling eyes and a smile that could disarm him in an instant. 

Instead of answering, Ty held out his hands and a large scythe appeared in them out of thin air. Ty spun it once in his hand before slamming the end of the ground and staring Zane down. Zane didn't meet his eyes, instead staring at Ty's hands as they wrapped around the shaft, his mind providing a very clear image of those hands in a much less professional situation.

He was dead. In theory, everyone else here was dead as well. This was the afterlife he was being given and, if he was honest, it was far better than anything he thought he deserved. He'd get to ride horses for the rest of eternity, even if he questioned Deuce's reasoning when picking him. And he'd get to spend eternity near this man who was the sexiest person Zane had ever seen.

Zane looked up to meet Ty's eyes, a single question burning in his mind. When Ty looked back, an eyebrow quirked in challenge, Zane saw what he was looking for and took a chance. He was already dead. What was the worst that could happen?

He stepped forward, crowding Ty back against the wall and tilted Ty's head back to meet his lips in a bruising kiss. Distantly, he heard a pop and assumed the scythe went back from wherever Ty got it because Ty's arms wrapped around him as the other man began to kiss him back with eagerness. This was absolute madness and Zane knew he should stop but Ty was growing hard against him and kissing him like he needed Zane to breathe and all other thoughts left his mind.

Ty reached behind himself and opened a door Zane hadn't even noticed and the two of them stumbled in, still wrapped around each other. Zane didn't know whose office this was and while he had a hundred questions running through his mind at this moment, his biggest concern was how fast he could get Ty naked and on the substantial desk that occupied a good portion of the room. If this wasn't Ty's office, they'd have some uncomfortable questions to answer later, but that was a problem for the future.

In a matter of moments, they were both tearing at each other's clothes, though they both were confused by how differently their clothes were fastened. "Good lord, they liked buttons when you were alive, didn't they? Remind me to introduce you to zippers." Ty continued to grumble until he got the last of the buttons open on Zane's shirt and pants. 

"I don't even know what this is on your clothes," growled Zane in return, wondering if it was the aforementioned zipper. But that was a ridiculous word and he wasn't entirely sure that Ty wasn't just making fun of him. He settled for just ripping the trousers open and letting them fall to the ground. Surely someone around here could fix that for Ty later.

Once they were both naked, Zane took a moment to appreciate Ty's body. He was tall and muscled, not as big as Zane perhaps, but strong and solid. He had scars all over, small white lines, and unusual markings that Zane could imagine were painful when they were first created. And, to be honest, they only made Ty that much more attractive. 

He knew what Ty was seeing. A tall man, with far more muscles than sense most of the time. He had his own fair share of scars and hands roughened by years of manual labor on his family's ranch before he'd moved to town to make a different life for himself. Ty didn't seem to mind the roughness as Zane dragged his hands down Ty's chest. 

Pulling him into a kiss, Ty yanked Zane had enough that he was off-balance, something he wasn't used to. Not many people could manhandle a man his size and Zane would readily admit that it was a turn on. He rather liked men that could kill him if given the chance. Not that he thought Ty would.

But he was here about to fuck the living (not-living) epitome of death. He couldn't get more literal about it if he tried.

Somehow, Ty managed to get Zane flat on his back on the desk. His head spun as he tried to keep up with how fast Ty could move and just how strung he actually was. Ty settled himself over Zane, bending forward to continue kissing him now that they were horizontal. Zane's hand traced down Ty's spine before probing lightly at Ty's entrance, wanting to push them in but not wanting to hurt him. "Oil?" he asked, still not sure if this was Ty's office or if they were defiling someone else's space. Not that he cared one way or another as long as they had everything that they needed.

Ty snapped his fingers and Zane's eyes went wide as he felt slickness on his length and against his fingers. "No prep. Like this," Ty growled, sitting up enough to push Zane's hand out of the way. "Come on already."

"Then do it," he challenged. "Fuck yourself with me." Ty sank down onto him, the tight heat of his body engulfing Zane's length in a long, smooth slide. 

This felt familiar and yet, so much more. The few times he indulged after becoming sheriff, it was always with someone he paid to be discreet. Even then, it was quick and rough, a tumble in the sheriff's office or behind the saloon. A hard, fast fuck to get the edge off. Zane never saw the person again (to an extent, it _was_ virtually impossible to avoid someone in a town the size of theirs). 

Ty would be different, Zane knew that already. Not just because they would be working together but also because Ty was as into this as Zane was. Zane didn't have to pay Ty for his interest and that was new for Zane. 

Zane put his hands on Ty's hips, holding him in place while he thrust up, gentle at first but with increasing pressure each time until the desk moved with them and the room filled with the sounds of Zane's grunts, Ty's cries of pleasure, and the slap of skin on skin. Ty's hands rested on Zane's chest, fingers digging into the muscle as he cried out and rode Zane hard. 

"Touch yourself. Let me see you," Zane growled, knowing that he wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer. It really had been too long and Zane needed the release. But not until Ty had gotten his own.

Ty's hand wrapped around his length and his cries got even louder to Zane's delight. With only a few strokes, Ty spilled over Zane's stomach and Ty's own hand. His body contracted around Zane, milking his orgasm from him with only a few more thrusts. He stayed like that, even as he began to soften, not wanting to pull out of his lover's body just yet.

Finally, he slipped free and the moment he thought he should find something to clean them up, they were both clean. "Huh," he muttered. "Well, that's sure convenient."

"Guess you're part of the team now. Wouldn't be able to do that if you weren't." Ty sat up, wincing slightly and Zane wondered if he should apologize. But then Ty grinned. "I suppose there's no doubting what we were doing in here. Owen's going to blow when he realizes we used his office." 

"And Owen is...?"

Ty's grin only got bigger and Zane realized that it was an expression that suited Ty but also probably spelled trouble more often than not. "Horseman of War."

Fuck, that didn't sound good at all. But then he looked at Ty's flushed face and the grin he had plastered there and Zane decided he didn't care. Not like he could die again. He pulled Ty in for a kiss, drawing it out slow and languid, enjoying what he was beginning to think might be a rare quiet moment in this office.

"So, I'm the Horseman of Famine? That seems like a damn stupid decision but I don't suppose you know why I was chosen for this?"

With a shrug, Ty climbed off him then shook his head. "Listen, I might have been his mortal brother but Deuce knows things I never will. I'm sure he has his reasons. And he probably better reasons to bring you here than just to fuck with me."

Ty offered Zane a hand up, which he gladly took. Once standing, he leaned closer, close enough to make Ty lean back in order to look Zane in the eye and he smiled, more a leer than anything else. "Or do you mean not just to fuck you?"

"Listen here, cowboy. I give as good as I get. So you better be prepared because next time, that ass is mine."

The promise of a next time had Zane grinning, even as he realized that he had no idea what any of this mean. What did it mean to be a Horseman of the Apocalypse? What was he now? Where was he? When? There were so many things he didn't understand and Zane didn't like being out of the know. 

Ty patted his cheek and stepped away. "Ah, I see your brain has kicked back on. Let's go find Deuce or Nick and they can answer all your questions. I could try, but you'd just end up bent over this desk.

Zane tried to speak but with that image firmly burned into his mind, nothing came out. "We'll save that for after orientation." Ty gave him a wink and a moment later their clothes were back on. "Planning on sticking with that style for a bit, darlin'? Cause you fill out those trousers well."

If Zane would ever be able to keep with Ty conversationally, he didn't know. The man spoke like he was from another world. _No, just another time,_ his brain supplied helpfully. But if this conversation was anything to go by, Ty would certainly be keeping him on his toes. And Zane was more than okay with that. It had been a while since he found someone he wanted to spar with verbally.

He was saved from having to respond when the door burst open and a man in an impeccable suit stood in front of them. Zane remembered him from the room a little while before but now he looked like he wanted to murder them all. A large sword hung loosely from his hand, though Zane was certain the man would use it without a second thought. "What the fuck did you just do on my desk?" His eyes glowed an unsettling red and Zane took an involuntary step back, his mind screaming _DEMON_ even as he reminded himself that they didn't exist.

Though, with the knowledge he now had, Zane wasn't as sure about that as he would have been an hour ago.

"Ozone, relax. Nothing a little bleach can't take care of." Ty strolled past the angry man, patting him on the shoulder. The moment he passed, however, the man swung the sword at Ty so fast that Zane didn't have time to cry out a warning. But Ty was ready for him, spinning around and stopping the sword with the scythe that once more appeared out of nowhere. "You really want to do this?" Ty hissed and Zane realized his eyes had turned completely black. "Because I think we both know how this ends."

Unlike the creepy red eyes, the black ones were the hottest damn thing Zane had ever seen and he wondered if he could get them to come out in the bedroom somehow.

Ozone, as Ty had called him, relaxed his stance almost instantly and took a step back. With a nod to Ty, he looked back at Zane. There was an anger there that Zane didn't understand but he figured he would be finding out soon enough. It seemed to be more than just "you fucked my friend on my desk, you asshole."

The redheaded man Zane now knew was Nick appeared in the door. "Alright, that's enough. Owen, go disinfect your desk. I'm sure Digger has something suitably potent and poisonous for you. Ty, go back to your office and do your paperwork for a change. Consider it a personal favor."

"Aye aye, Captain," Ty said with a cheeky salute. "Hey, Nick? Be nice to that one. I want him to stick around." Ty gave Zane a wink and hurried out of the office. Zane wanted to follow but knew he probably needed to talk with Nick first.

"There is no way in any universe he is going to do his paperwork. The only reason Cross hasn't killed him yet is that Ty's the only one of us who can't technically be killed. Officially speaking." Zane filed that piece of information away for later, as well as the question of who Cross was and what happened to them if they _were_ killed. "Garrett, welcome to the team. I'll show you to your office and you can start getting acquainted with how things work around here. Though, word of advice. If you are going to fuck Death, please don't do so in War's office. He's a bit touchy."

"Noted." Zane struggled to keep the grin off his lips. If he was going to work with these men, pissing them off more than necessary was a terrible idea. He didn't really want to die. Again.

Nick led the way down the hall to a door that looked like all the others except for a small set of scales engraved in it. "This is you. Your office connects to the one next door. The fact that it is Death's office is a coincidence and I hope you don't make me have to rearrange the whole alignment. So far, Eli's been the only one who can share a door with Ty and not end of as a casualty by the end of the first day. Just keep the doors locked if you two are going to have a _private meeting_ , okay?"

That was one way to put it and Zane simply nodded. He wasn't about to argue, particularly when this worked out so well in his favor. Everyone knew what they'd been doing anyway, so they had to know that they were going to have another round sooner rather than later. The fact that their offices shared a door only made it more convenient. "Listen," Nick said, interrupting his thoughts. "I don't care who you fuck as long as you get the job done. Go look through the orientation book Deuce left on your desk and I'll come find you in a few hours. If you can ride a horse, you're halfway there. Trust me, you should have seen them trying to train Ty. Horses might as well have been his archenemy for all the fuss he kicked up." Nick bit his lip, glancing away. "The fact that he fell for a cowboy... I'm never going to let him hear the end of this."

The phrase "fall for" seemed a bit premature, considering they'd just fucked and gone their separate ways, but deep down, he knew it was right. There was something between him and Ty and it sounded like they had all of eternity to figure it out. Unless someone killed him first. He needed to find out how that would happen.

Actually, he thought to himself, as Nick turned and headed back down the hall to what Zane could only assume was his office, he knew exactly who to ask. Who better to ask about death then Death himself? Zane knocked on the door to Ty's office, then let himself in. He'd be sure to ask that question to Ty. 

Eventually.

First, though, Zane thought he could put his mouth to better uses than talking. He had all of eternity to figure out this job and to get to know Ty. 

Maybe he'd give the man another riding lesson or two. His grin only grew wider as he stepped into the office and closed the door behind him, anxious to see what his afterlife would bring.

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell at me on [tumblr](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com) or [twitter](http://twitter.com/astudyinfic)


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